TV/Movie Awards

Actor of the Year

I had some trouble picking the Actor of the Year, but eventually settled with Benedict Cumberbatch. He’s kind of the actor of the moment right now. He’s everywhere and he’s brilliant in everything that I’ve seen him in. From Sherlock to Khan to Smaug, Cumberbatch brings awesome characters to life. And he has an awesome name.

Actress of the Year

Winner: Sandra Bullock (Gravity)

Actress of the Year was an easy one. Sandra Bullock had to carry an entire movie herself. Well, the awesome special effects and score helped out tremendously, but Sandra was a very significant part of that trifecta. Without her fantastic acting, Gravity might have come off as a horror movie. George Clooney was there for part of the movie, but it was almost 100% Sandra. That’s a significant burden to carry in a role. Yet, she kept me captivated the entire time. I love Sandra and I think she deserves this Actress of the Year nod for Gravity.

Director of the Year

Winner: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)

I had never heard of Alfonso before Gravity, but I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next. Gravity was beautiful in so many ways and it was Alfonso’s vision that brought it to life. Another easy award to give out here.

TV Show of the Year

Winner: Breaking Bad

I don’t think I need to explain this one.

Honorable Mentions: Game of Thrones, The Americans, House of Cards

Movie of the Year

Winner: Gravity

I viewed Gravity in 3D IMAX and it just blew me away. Gravity is unique and beautiful. Mesmerizing. Emotional. It’s special. Maybe I loved it more because I’m such a space and sci-fi geek. Either way, this is my Movie of the Year.

Honorable Mentions: Star Trek: Into Darkness, Catching Fire, Man of Steel, The Hobbit Part 2: The Desolation of Smaug

Comic Awards

Comic Series of the Year

Winner: Saga

No question. Saga is my Comic Series of the Year. It might be the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen or read, but that’s a good thing! It’s completely original and completely awesome! I started reading it earlier this year and I was instantly hooked. I’ve never given them less than a 100 rating. They’ve been that good so far. Y’all need to check it out if you haven’t already.

Gaming Awards

Shooter of the Year

Winner: Killzone: Shadow Fall

I didn’t love Shadow Fall’s multiplayer, but I really enjoyed the single player campaign. Overall, I enjoyed it more than any other shooter this year. It wasn’t special or memorable, though I suppose not many shooters are these days.

Action/Adventure of the Year

Winner: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

I didn’t give the Game of the Year award to Black Flag, but I knew that it deserved an award of some kind. Black Flag was the most fun I had in gaming in 2013. It was fresh and everything an action/adventure game should be. I truly felt like I was sailing the Caribbean, finding booty, sinking enemies, and all of those piratey things. Black Flag is my new favorite of the AC Series and that’s saying a lot. Great game.

Sports of the Year

Winner: Madden NFL 25 (PS4)

Madden NFL 25 was the best sports game I’ve ever played. It’s so much fun and looks amazing. Now that the NCAA Football series is dead, I’ll probably be sticking with only Madden for sports game from now on.

Indie of the Year

Winner: Contrast

I admittedly don’t play a ton of indie games. Maybe if I played more, I’d have made a different choice here. Maybe not, though. I loved Contrast. It wasn’t perfect. It was glitchy and short. But it was fun and heart and that’s good enough for me.

RPG of the Year

Winner: Mass Effect Trilogy

Wait, what? The Mass Effect games didn’t come out this year. I know this. Point me to an RPG game that came out this year that deserved this title. I didn’t see any. This year was a bad one for RPGs. Meanwhile, I played the Mass Effect games twice this year and they’re still not getting old. I love those games so freaking much. I also played through the Dragon Age games once.

Studio of the Year

Winner: Telltale Games

I picked Telltale Games for Studio of the Year because they continue to come out with outstanding games. How do they follow up the 2012 Game of the Year? The Wolf Among Us (which is awesome), The Walking Dead Season 2 (which is awesome), and have started developing Borderlands and Game of Thrones games. I’ve been a fan for years and I expect to be fan for years to come.

Multiplayer of the Year

Winner: Call of Duty: Ghosts

While I do think that Shadow Fall is a better overall shooter, I think that Ghosts has the better multiplayer mode. Call of Duty has a great multiplayer mode that they stick with and there’s a reason for that. They might do small upgrades and changes, but they don’t change much because it works. I like it.

Character of the Year

Winner: The Lutece Twins (Bioshock Infinite)

I’ll admit that I got the idea for the Lutece Twins when I saw that they were nominated for the same award for VGX. Regardless, it was the right pick for me, because I loved them so much. At first they’re really fun and mysterious. As I got to know them, and figured out who they really are, they quickly became my favorites. The concept of the Lutece Twins is awesome enough, but the writing and voice acting brought it home. I hope we get to see more of them, at least in the last story DLC!

Dog of the Year

Winner: Riley (Call of Duty: Ghosts)

How can you say no to that face? Riley was my favorite part of Ghosts and he should have been in more of it, in my opinion. They made this really cool scout mode with him and then it barely gets used. Disappointing, but Riley is still my Dog of the Year!

Voice Actor of the Year

Winner: Troy Baker as Booker DeWitt (Bioshock Infinite), as Joel (The Last of Us), and as The Joker (Batman: Arkham Origins)

Who else? Baker’s performance as Joel was probably the most emotional, but I liked Booker the most. Whichever performance is your favorite, there’s no denying that Troy Baker is the Voice Actor of the Year.

Voice Actress of the Year

Winner: Ellen Page as Jodie Holmes (BEYOND: Two Souls)

Ellen Page rocked as Jodie Holmes in BEYOND. She made that game. She brought Jodie to life, in perhaps a video game character has never been brought to life before. Stellar performance and an easy pick for voice actress of the year.

Honorable Mentions: Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite), Ashley Johnson as Ellie (The Last of Us)

DLC of the Year

Winner: Mass Effect: The Citadel

The ending still might not be the best, but The Citadel DLC gave a proper sendoff to Shepard and Gang. It had tons of content, awesome character interaction, and just about everything that I could have asked for in a DLC. The Citadel is not only my favorite DLC of the year, but it is also one of my favorites of all time.

Game of the Year

Winner: BEYOND: Two Souls

BEYOND: Two Souls got a bad rap. I don’t read any other reviews until I write mine. I was SHOCKED when I saw all of the bad scores out there. Granted, there were also good and mediocre scores. It was pretty mixed. However, I was still shocked at all of the bad scores for BEYOND, because I thought it was exceptional. I could sit here typing a defense for it, but I suppose it’s really this simple: you either got it or you didn’t. I got it, loved it, and it’s my Game of the Year for 2013.

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6 thoughts on “The Rhodes Review Awards (2013)”

Great choices! You know, I hadn’t thought about it until you said it here, but you’re totally right that this was kind of a bad year for RPGs. Great storytelling in some games, though! I agree with a lot of your picks here. Can’t wait for Dragon Age next year too. =)

Thanks! I liked yours too and that you went with different “awards” for 2013. There might have been some good RPGs that came out last year, but I didn’t play them. I heard Pokemon was good, but I don’t have a 3DS. Good point. There were some amazing stories told this year in gaming! Dragon Age III is going to be amazing!

Nice picks for 2013. Telltale is definitely a winner in 2013 with The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead Season Two. They brought life back to the point and click genre. I just picked up vol 1 & 2 for Saga. Can’t wait to read them!